Welcome to the March 20 Monday Business Briefing, your private business intelligence digest from Insider Louisville.

Holy Molé food truck owner, Murder by Death band members opening Butchertown restaurant

Lupo will be an Italian restaurant. | Courtesy of Adam Turlo

Every day there seems to be business news coming out of Butchertown.

Just last week, Insider Louisville reported that real estate agent Isaiah Hoagland is taking ownership of Louis’s The Ton and has plans to add food service. A couple of days before that, word got out that chef Allan Rosenberg was opening a pizzeria in the former Hall’s Cafeteria.

And now, IL has learned, another restaurant is moving into the neighborhood: Lupo, an Italian restaurant, is under construction at 1540 Frankfort Ave.

Max Balliet, owner of the Holy Molé taco truck, is behind the restaurant, which will serve up wood-fired pizza, handmade pastas and cocktails. Balliet is opening Lupo with his sister Sarah Balliet, and her husband, Adam Turla, who are founding members of the indie rock band Murder by Death.

Interestingly, Balliet and Turla aren’t the only musicians who’ve gotten into the restaurant business in Butchertown. My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan is a co-owner of Butchertown Grocery.

Turla told IL that Max Balliet has always wanted to make wood-fired pizzas. About a year and a half ago, they all decided to partner and started saving for the venture.

“We are finally in a position where we are really doing it,” he said, adding that they hope to open Lupo in late spring.

The trio decided to name the restaurant Lupo, the Italian word for wolf, as a nod to Rome.

“The legend of Rome is that a she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus, and then they grew up and founded Rome,” Turla explained.

The food at Lupo will have a “casual, modern approach” and feature Italian dishes that are hard to find in the United States, he said. The restaurant is expected to seat about 70 people and eventually have outdoor dining. Lupo also plans to offer carry-out.

Personally, Turla seemed most excited about the building in which Lupo will be located. The two-story, 3,179-square-foot home was built in 1860.

They bought the property in October for $230,000, according to county property records, and plan to spend at least $200,000 renovating it, according to the city building permit.

“We are trying to keep the interior of the building there, while trying to make it fresh and clean,” Turla said, adding that they’ve called on local artisans and craftspeople they know to help refinish the brick and wood.

They are trying to keep as many of the original features as possible and are reusing wood within the house in the build-out.

“We love the building. We love the area,” Turla said. “We are really excited about how that area is developing, and we are just happy to be a part of what seems to be the Butchertown boom.” —Caitlin Bowling

Red Bull event expected to have nearly $10 million economic impact

For the first time, Louisville will host the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The expo center will serve as the site for the second round of the season.

“This is an incredible opportunity for the Kentucky Exposition Center to bring one of the fastest and most exciting events in motorsports to fans,” Jason Rittenberry, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues, said in a news release. “We’ve delivered monster truck shows, championship tractor pulls and off-road races in the past, but this is a whole different level of competition, a new and unique event for the community.”

The Red Bull Global Rallycross course will include a mix of dirt and pavement with a 70-foot dirt tabletop jump, sharp corners and a hairpin turn.

The event, May 20-21, is expected to bring 10,000 fans to the Kentucky Exposition Center that weekend and have an estimated economic impact of nearly $10 million. —Caitlin Bowling

Residential and commercial construction firm Ramage Company has purchased a 165-year-old building at 900 E. Jefferson St. and is planning to overhaul the interior, the company announced.

The three-story building, which formerly housed the F. J. Kremer & Sons Co. Candy & Confectionery, will become Ramage’s headquarters. It’s currently based out of Norton Commons, where it has built homes.

The company will spend $750,000 to restore the building, as well as access state and federal historic preservation tax credits for the project. Republic Bank & Trust is helping to finance the project, Ramage told IL.

The company plans to modernize the building with utilities and climate control systems, a new first-floor storefront and a courtyard, but keep the original wood floors, windows and wood finishes.

Ramage will occupy the third floor. NAI Fortis Group will rent out the first and second floors, each 1,812 square feet, as office and retail space for Ramage. —Caitlin Bowling

Developer reboots stalled multifamily housing project

A 233-unit multifamily housing development may finally get underway.

David Greenberg with Select Homes filed plans with the city last week seeking approvals for Commons at Moss Creek at 110 Goalby Drive in the Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood.

A sketch of what Commons at Moss Creek’s townhomes will look like. | Courtesy of Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government

According to a letter submitted to the city, the project has been in the works since the property was rezoned back in 2005. It was originally set to house condominiums, but Greenberg, who bought the property in 2015, now plans to build townhouses.

Some of the townhouses will include attached garages, while others will have dedicated parking spaces. The development will feature a walking path, a playground and 176,627-square-feet of open space. —Caitlin Bowling

Louisville restaurant owner speaking at International Culinary Center in New York City

Harvest owner and farmer Ivor Chodkowski is traveling to the Big Apple to talk about his experience with regionally grown food.

On March 23, Chodkowski will address the students at the International Culinary Center as part of its new Professional Culinary Arts program + Farm-To-Table extension. The center’s alumni include well-known chefs Dan Barber (who created the program), Bobby Flay and Christina Tosi.

The program, which is detailed more in the above video, aims to teach students about the beginning of the food chain. “Tomorrow’s chefs need to understand what it truly means to be sustainable,” Dorothy Cann Hamilton, founder of the culinary school, said in the video.

In Louisville, Chodkowski is known as one of the fathers of the local farm-to-table movement. Harvest serves locally sourced meats and vegetables, and Chodkowski runs his own farm, Field Day Family Farm, where he raises vegetables, chickens, and sometimes turkeys and hogs.

He also works with the nonprofit Food Literacy Project, which exposes children to farming to show them where food comes from and how it’s grown locally. —Caitlin Bowling

Southern Living came out with its first-ever “The South’s Best” list this month, and three Louisville establishments were featured throughout the 13 categories that included Best Cities, Best Hotels, Best Shops, Best Bars, Best Breweries and more. The magazine surveyed more than 22,000 readers on their favorite places in each state.

Lexington’s Dudley’s took the Best Restaurant category and Best Barbecue went to Owensboro’s Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn. Charleston, S.C., won the South’s Best City and Mobile, Ala., watering hole Callaghan’s Irish Social Club won Best Bar overall. —Sara Havens

GLIDE trip set to head to Nashville in the fall

Tennessee Visitors Bureau

GLI has announced that it’s 2017 Greater Louisville Idea Development Expedition trip will be just a hop, skip and a jump down I-65 to Music City. The three-day trip, scheduled from Sept. 10-12, is intended to bring city leaders across all disciplines together to study other cities’ best practices.

Nashville’s population grew by 29 percent in the last 10 years, GLI pointed out, while Louisville only grew by 6 percent. Nashville is frequently named a top tourist destination by national media outlets and 13.9 million people visited Nashville in 2016. The GLIDE trip will be studying how Nashville capitalizes on its music industry to bring in both new resident and tourists.

According to GLI, the five major cities in Tennessee enjoy a spirit of collaboration when dealing with state politics. This positive relationship between these cities is something GLIDE attendees will be learning from.

“GLIDE attendees will also look into the ways Right-To-Work, comprehensive tax reform, and charter schools have impacted Nashville’s business growth and education climates,” GLI reported in a news release. (It’s worth noting that the Nashville School Board recently deliberated a moratorium on charter schools.)

The jaunt down south will set you back a cool $2,550. The price includes two-night hotel accommodations at 21C Nashville, group meals, charter ground transportation and briefing materials. Reserve online. —Melissa Chipman

Couple plans to open music venue, comedy club

The comedy club and music venue will be located in Newburg. | Courtesy of Google Maps

John and Tammy Seward aren’t slowing down just because they are now retired. The couple plans to open a bar and restaurant that primarily will serve as a venue for local music and comedy.

“We’d both like to have something to play around with,” said John Seward, who is retired from Marathon Petroleum. Tammy Seward retired from Baptist Health.

The business will be called Frank Niddy’s Music & Comedy after their son and will be located at 5044 Poplar Level Road. The venue is at least several months away from opening as the Sewards just filed paperwork with the city to make sure the property is zoned properly.

“We are still a pretty good ways away,” John Seward said, noting that the plumbing is being redone. They still need to build out the space the way they want it.

Frank Niddy’s Music & Comedy will host karaoke, open mic nights and local band performances. It also will have a full bar and food service with menu items including chicken wings, salads and steak.

While there is a local comedy scene, the places for people to perform are few and far between. The most well-known comedy club in Louisville, The Comedy Caravan, was rebranded as The Laughing Derby for a while but was recently sold and is going back to its original brand. —Caitlin Bowling

Pizzeria hoping to open near Big Four Bridge in two weeks

The pizza place is opening soon. | Courtesy of Parlour

This post has been changed.

Parlour pizzeria and pub hopes to open by April 1, according to Paul Blackburn, a partner in the project.

The restaurant, which also will include a beer garden, is the latest restaurant he and other partners, including operating partner Matthew Farley, have opened in Jeffersonville. The first, Portage House, opened toward the end of last year and has received positive buzz since.

Parlour is located at 131 W. Chestnut St. in Jeffersonville, near the foot of the Big Four Bridge, which has brought many pedestrians from Louisville to Indiana. Parlour is opening in a renovated former house that most recently served as a bed and breakfast, plus art gallery.

The menu at Parlour will focus on stone-fired pizzas and also plans to have a wealth of craft beers on tap. —Caitlin Bowling

Venture Sharks ups prize to $37,000 and adds crowdfunding

Venture Connectors has increased the prize for the eighth annual Venture Sharks business competition to more than $37,000 in cash and services, topping last year’s prize of $23,000. Applications are due at midnight on March 22.

The 2017 in-kind prize package of $32,245 includes:

A brand strategy and website design package valued at $10,000, provided by Mightily

This year, too, Venture Connectors is crowdfunding an Audience’s Choice award. All funds collected from now through the May 3 finals will be paid in full, minus fees, to the winner of the audience text vote held during the Venture Sharks finals event. Click here to donate to the campaign. —Melissa Chipman

Robot connects Louisville docs with stroke patients in Shelbyville

The InTouch Lite robot, made by InTouch Health

A remote-controlled robot is connecting UofL physicians with patients at Jewish Hospital Shelbyville to get them faster help during a stroke.

Using a joystick, doctors in Louisville can interact with patients, their families and medical professionals through the 5-foot, 6-inch robot, which comes with a camera and 360-degree infrared sensors.

KentuckyOne Health, which owns the hospital, said in a press release that the remote connection “allows the neurology team to conduct real-time assessments of patients experiencing stroke-like symptoms.” If needed, patients are taken to a stroke center.

“During a stroke, every minute matters in the ability to provide patients with brain-saving treatments,” said Dr. Kerri Remmel, director of University Hospital’s Stroke Center.

“Given the health challenges of our state, it is important to have quick access to neurology services in community hospitals,” she said. Telemedicine allows a stroke specialist to see patients in their home hospital and provide rapid assessment and appropriate treatment. Anytime, anywhere, patient care.”

The robot was made possible through an $1.8 million investment from KentuckyOne’s parent company, Catholic Health Initiatives. —Boris Ladwig

Woodford Reserve releases its annual Kentucky Derby bottle

For the second year in a row, Woodford Reserve has chosen Chicago artist Thomas Allen Pauly’s work for its commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle. The image, titled “Inspired,” features an overhead view of Churchill Downs — through the Twin Spires — as horses gallop to the finish line.

“Woodford Reserve is thrilled to partner with Thomas Allen Pauly for a second year,” said Mark Bacon, Woodford Reserve global brand director, in a press release. “His ability to capture the excitement of a moment perfectly embodies the spirit of Woodford Reserve and the Kentucky Derby.”

Pauly is a renowned equine artist and was proclaimed the “Official Artist of American Pharoah.”

Here at Insider, we think this is one of the best bottles we’ve seen of the past couple years. The vibrant green on the bottle’s neck and in the image juxtaposes well with the copper highlights. It would look quite nice on any bar shelf.

The limited-edition bottle will be available this month. It retails for $43.99. —Sara Havens